Third-party fire and theft car insurance

While traditional third-party property car insurance (TPP) can cover out-of-pocket costs if you damage somebody else’s car or property while driving, it won’t cover damage caused by fires or the theft of your vehicle. 

However, third-party fire and theft car insurance (TPPFT) can give you the added confidence of knowing that if your car is damaged or lost due to fire or theft, you could recover some of the costs.

Let’s take a deeper look at the type of car insurance that sits somewhere in the middle of third-party property and comprehensive car insurance. 

Third-party property with fire and theft insurance (TPPFT) is essentially an optional extra you can tack on to your TPP car insurance. 

It will likely increase your car insurance premium, but the added coverage could prove to be worth it.

Third-party fire and theft car insurance may cover:

• Your car if it’s damaged by fire 
• Your car if it’s lost to fire
• Your car if it’s stolen 
• Your car if it’s damaged in an attempted theft
• Plus, all the things the TPP car insurance policy covers.

Third-party fire and theft car insurance protects the policyholder’s vehicle. It might be a good option for you if you want the added coverage it provides on top of your TPP policy, and/or if you don’t want to pay for a comprehensive car insurance policy and its features.

• Agreed or market value? When you get TPP quotes, check if the maximum value of your vehicle that they will pay you is accurate. If it's a market value policy, but you aren't happy with their calculation, consider shopping around for a policy that offers an agreed value option.
• Compare fire and theft car insurance. Don't just take the first deal you get. Unless it's amazing, of course. But how will you know if you don't see what the competition is offering?
• Weigh-up if a comprehensive policy suits your needs. Just because you might be able to save a bit of cash by not splashing out for a comprehensive policy, consider the other benefits you might get if you do opt for more coverage. 

Use the following table to get a rough idea of what some of the main differences in coverage are between typical TPPFT and comprehensive car insurance policies. 

While not every policy is the same, you can certainly check what’s covered and what’s not covered in the provider’s policy disclosure statement (PDS), including any general exclusions that might void your claim. 

Essentially, you’re getting third-party property car insurance with a couple of useful extras, and excluding all the bells and whistles you might get with a comprehensive car insurance policy. 

That being said, make sure to consider the extras you might get with a comprehensive policy, like help with repair costs if you scrape the side of your car while pulling out of the driveway, or new car replacement if you can’t afford to buy a new one after a write-off accident. 

While you might save money with a TPPFT policy, a comprehensive car insurance policy might help you out where the former falls short. 

Check out some of the featured comprehensive car insurance policies below, or check out the best car insurance in Australia to get acquainted with policies the Mozo experts believe are worth highlighting.

Buy the first fire and theft car insurance you see

Although it may be tempting to go ahead and purchase the first sparkly car insurance policy you read about, it will give you very little in return. It's always worth looking around first to see if there's a better value option out there, or if you can negotiate on price using other quotes.

Try Mozo's car insurance comparison tool to see if you can get the cover for all the things you expect in your car insurance at the right price. It only takes a couple of minutes and saves you potentially hours searching online or calling around.

Rely on online comparisons alone

It’s wonderful that we can rely on online comparisons and info as we do our general day to day research for products and services. But we probably shouldn’t solely rely on what we find online.

There could be new products not yet listed on insurance providers websites that could suit your personal situation better, or features and products that you’re unaware of with existing ones that you need clarification on. So it pays to set some time aside and give your insurance company a call. You never know what you could be missing out on.

Still not sure which direction to take? 

Sometimes reading about other people’s experiences when it comes to purchasing fire and theft car insurance is the best way to settle on the right product. So check out Mozo's great customer review section on car insurance.